I'm looking to be slim but toned but I don't want to get bulky. I've been doing cardio to lose the weight and weights to tighten and tone and i look/feel more bulky than before, my process is usually working on my arms around the 55 pound mark on weights, and 90 odd on my abs, back and adduction machine (I want that V thing that happens around your waist) and i usually do about 50-100 reps on each

now should i continue to lift light to mid-level weights and do lots of reps like i am or is that whats making me bulkier? And should I instead go for heavier weights but fewer reps?

sanchia -> RE: Question about lifting weights (2/12/2012 9:20:47 AM)

As I understand it you need about 10% body fat for the v shaped abs and to put quite a lot of focus upon your obliques as those muscles are the ones which define the v shaped abdominal). You want to focus on exercises for the stomach which are twist exercises (exercising the side muscles rather than just the middle muscles). One thing to take great care of is that those exercises are ones whioh potentially put a lot of strain on your back if doing them incorrectly so take care. I aspired to those muscles once, never got there. [;)]

I understand heavier weights and fewer reps is what makes bulkier muscle whilst lower and more reps is what makes lean muscle.

Powka -> RE: Question about lifting weights (2/12/2012 9:42:19 AM)

Abdominal muscles are predetermined by your genes and you CANNOT shape them in any away (unless, maybe, with plastic surgery and implants). Depending on your genes, your abs will start showing at around 10-11% bodyfat level as sanchia said, however the only way to get there is the diet (not cardio, not weights) - calories in vs. calories out. One time a week of work on your abs will be more than enough, as they are working most of the time while you're doing other exercises. For the V shaped back, you'll have to build muscle, and specifically grow your latissimus dorsi and deltoids, as well as lose fat from around your waist. Unfortunately, you'll have to choose to do one thing or the other first, and it's up to you which.

Don't overthink things, and stick to the basics, you don't need much else unless you're trying to become a fitness model, which is too soon anyway.

- Look up the diet and decide what you want to do - gain muscle or loose fat; there's plenty of ridiculous advice on the Internet that isn't even backed up by science, so be careful with doing stupid shit advised by amateur weight lifters. - Stick to compound exercises with free weights as much as you can, and learn how to do every exercise properly before attempting to do it with heavy weight to avoid injury - You don't need cardio, unless you're trying to be VERY healthy and preparing to run a marathon or something; diet is the only answer to loosing fat or gaining muscle

Don't even think of going to bodybuilding or fitness forums - they're full of ignorant idiots that don't even know what they are talking about. I suggest you to read advice from the following fitness and nutrition gurus: Lyle McDonald, Alan Aragon, Martin Berkhan, JC Deen, Brad Pilon.

If you've never really worked out before, you are experiencing noob gains; anyone who is new to weightlifting usually put muscle on fairly easily.

If you've reached a point that you are happy with do two things:

1) Keep using the current weight that you are using for the exercises that you are doing, and keep the number of sets/reps the same. As long as you are not providing the stimulus for your body to create new muscle, you won't get any bulkier. 2) Don't put yourself in a calorific surplus (in other words, eat for your current weight).

The only way you will continue to get bulkier is if you were to disobey those two rules.